Cuddly serial killer comic book Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees is heading into its final bloody act.
The final six-issue chapter of the hit franchise will be titled Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: The Summer and the Fall and will debut in February 2027. Creator Patrick Horvath and publisher IDW are announcing the title and giving a first look Saturday at a San Diego Comic-Con panel discussing horror in comics.
The ending is bittersweet for Horvath, who launched the book in 2024 with little fanfare and saw it not only gain accolades such as Eisner nominations and a Harvey Award, but also an unexpected continuation of its story; as its success continues to play out, it has launched a spinoff, an art book, and even bloody plushies.
“When I initially pitched the first arc, I honestly thought that would be the end of it, but about halfway through writing and drawing that, I had the spark of what would grow into a second and third installment,” said Horvath in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s bittersweet to be bringing this to a close now, but mostly I’m filled with a lot of gratitude for IDW taking a chance on me and the global comics community for giving me such an insanely warm welcome.”
With its Dexter meets Richard Scary tones, it centered on a brown bear named Samantha Strong, a seemingly mild-mannered hardware store owner (who is actually a serial killer) living in a bucolic suburban town of Woodbrook. The first story was set in the 1980s while the second volume, recently wrapped, was set in the 1990s, at the dawn of the Internet age and culminated with a shocking finale that left readers’ jaws on the forest floor.
Taking another decade leap forward, the story takes place in 2004 as small-town America has died and the country is seemingly locked into a forever war in the Middle East. Strong, once the most infamous and most wanted person in the country, had faded into obscurity. She’s now in her 60s and attempting to live a quiet life off the grid in the desert. She kills when the opportunity presents itself, but she spends her time surviving. But it’s only a matter of time until she’s recognized.
“Samantha Strong now finds herself having to answer for all of her deeds to a world that has become obsessed with true crime, global terrorism, and the slippery notion of righteous violence, stated Horvath, before teasing, “It might all lead to a major change for her, or this might just be the end of the road.”
Beneath the Trees has proven to be a massive hit for IDW. The two series so far, including comics and collections, have sold more than 400,000 copies, a massive amount for what is still a relatively new and original title from an indie publisher.
On top of the two story volumes, an oversized Artist’s Edition, spotlighting Horvath’s original painted work, goes on sale July 28. And an anthology spinoff issue, a Halloween Special with talents such as James Tynion IV and Tony Fleecs, is being published in October. The plushies are on pre-order from IDW.
THR is revealing the cover for issue No. 1 of The Summer and the Fall below.
Said Horvath, “With the cover, I wanted to allude to the notion that Samantha’s past life has been abandoned, sort of like a gunslinger burying their pistols, but there’s also that idea in there of excavation and forensics.”
Courtesy of IDW